“I Was Hungry In My Stomach But My Brain Was Full Of Hope”

“I Was Hungry In My Stomach But My Brain Was Full Of Hope”

It’s a cold winter day in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Chills run through the body like a quiet ghost, coming and going, making your hair stand on end. The cold has played a big part in Oyama Dyosiba’s journey to entrepreneurship. On this day, he is feeling a little under the weather; despite this his personality is like hot chocolate and marshmallows on a cold day.

As we meet, he sips hot water and feels the warmth of success born of years of struggle. The 31-year-old was one of GQ’s 2014 best-dressed men, is the founder of Oyama Management Agency; a social entrepreneur, and actor.

This is a world away from the cold and unwelcoming arrival in Johannesburg from East London in the Eastern Cape province. He was bewildered and penniless.

The problem was he had nowhere to go. So, it was a cold bench in Johannesburg’s Park Station.

“I didn’t know anyone or where I was going. Every morning, I would sit on the benches and pretend as if I’m waiting for a bus. I would go to the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth and then go and look for a job. I wanted to be here so I had to be strong and resilient,” he says.

Dyosiba landed a call center job and moved into an apartment in Braamfontein. In the months following this breakthrough, he scored a full time job as a marketing manager for City Varsity, a media and art school.

After a few years, he lost motivation and was unhappy in the job.

“I started thinking that I didn’t want to work for anyone. If I can turn City Varsity to what it is today surely I can do something of my own. That’s when I decided to start my own business.”

There was soul searching and research. Out of it came Oyama Management Agency in 2010.

“Starting a business is not easy. There are a lot of struggles, hard work and effort needed in order to be successful,” he says.

Thinking he had made it was dangerous. A second tragedy struck and he found himself homeless for the second time in four years thanks to his new business venture.

“I lost my apartment because the business was not making money as often as I needed it to. Sometimes clients didn’t pay on time and I was in trouble.”

With nowhere to go again, he moved into a tiny storeroom and slept on boxes.

“It was difficult. I put my things in the small storeroom of a building I used to stay in. The building manager was kind enough to let me keep all my things there. I couldn’t even go to the bathroom at night. I was forced to hold it in, [urine] in a container or run to the roof of the building,” he says.

“People in Johannesburg only like people when things are well. I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me so I pretended as if everything was okay.”

The pressure of survival in the big city and the confines of a storeroom did not stifle his dream.

“No one ever knew I had no place to stay. I even hosted the launch for my company and I was hungry in the stomach but my brain was full of hope.”

“I knew what I wanted and I wasn’t about to stop. I would go to a gym, close by, to bath every single day and no one knew. If you have a vision you have to keep going no matter what.”

Hard work prevailed and five years later he has swapped the storeroom for an apartment in Kyalami, north of Johannesburg.

Dyosiba not only hosts events packed tighter than two coats of paint but he is a businessman and TV actor. He has featured in TV shows such as ‘Tempy Pushas’ and ‘My Girl D’.

Oyama Management Agency has 37 fulltime employees and many more on contract.

When the agency first started, it concentrated on model and artist management. The company has grown over the years to include event planning and hosting events such as polo matches, brand activations, fashion shows and the music festivals.

He works with models such as Devon Muir and fashion designers who dress celebrities such as Weza Solange, Nomuzi Mabena and Dineo Moeketsi.

He knows the industry and is streetwise.

“I have turned down five clients this month alone because where there is no money there is no Oyama. In business you have to be strict. If you want the best job then you have to pay for it,” he says.

He counts Vodacom, Coca-Cola, MTN, beMOBILE and Peroni among clients.

“When clients trust you and know that you will deliver, it becomes easier because you get to a point where you don’t have to approach them and they approach you,” he says.

Fashion designer Quiteria Kekana of Quiteria&George says Dyosiba is a shrewd businessman who never gives up.

“There are a lot of artists he works with. He also organizes a lot of events around Africa and they are always a success. He hosted a Fashion Without Borders event and people in the industry were all talking about it. It was a success, a big success.”

According to Kekana, Dyosiba’s models score big contracts and some of them appear on national TV.

If nothing, Dyosiba’s story proves that with a brain full of hope you can fill the stomach, no matter how cold it is on the bench.

How to Determine if You’ll Be A Successful Entrepreneur

To become a successful entrepreneur you need a purpose. But what really is purpose? The entrepreneurs think differently because, he does not accept what the whole society tells him as certain. He questions things. The sole consequence of questioning things makes him believe that, perhaps, he’s able to have a whole new level of impact at a specific point, something that is really important. As an entrepreneur, you must feel like you’re on a mission. That’s the kind of purpose I’m talking about.

An entrepreneur has determination; it is the capacity to put your mind to one thing and not let go until you finally make it. No matter how hard, how tough, and how many times you fall, you must keep pushing forward day after day.

An entrepreneur is a leader. No one starts something new, something different, no one puts his time, effort, and money into something that breaks through conventional society thinking, without being a good leader.

An entrepreneur needs flexibility or agility: it is the capacity to adapt to circumstances. Creating and running a solid business brings new and different challenge. But in all these you must be able to break through the ice and overcome these challenge.

10 Bad Habits That Successful Entrepreneurs Avoid

Successful entrepreneurs have habits that make them successful. They practice these habits each day. They also have habits that they avoid at all costs, knowingly or unknowingly.

Too much fear of failure

Fear can be a good thing. Having some fear of failure keeps you healthy in the world of business. However too much fear is just the opposite. Remove fear. They are intense so much that it puts you at the point that you avoid or delay decisions. This is very difficult for some people to master. Successful businessmen over the years have conquered fear. They have learnt when to face the fear and turn it into winning ways. They have also learned when to turn back and pursue a better option; one with less risk. Those who master fear are those who often reap the most benefits.

Having a little fun with your work relieves you of so much tension and stress. You often won’t find this mistake on many lists because many people would not consider it a skill. There is no prescribed way of having fun. Make your job fun in your own way and you will never hate your job. Successful entrepreneurs often view their workplace as a place of fun. A place where they work and have fun at the same time. A good blend of fun with work, yields better-than-normal productivity.

Decision paralysis

The ability to make decisions is a core skill that every business person must possess if he or she wants to be successful. Decisions on how to proceed with marketing, funding, product production, vendor selection, and a host of other judgments need to be made. Don’t be afraid to make decisions. Make the decision even if you make a bad one. What is important is to focus on learning from mistakes.

No matter what business you’re in, “you’re in the people business”. How true that is! Whether dealing with customers, vendors, investors, the press, or employees, continuously developing your people abilities to deal with people the right way can mean the difference between success and failure.

Being too conservative

Never settle for the ordinary, even if it means a little controversy. Don’t be afraid of ticking someone off if it is for the greater good.

Afraid of asking for help

Everyone in this world needs help, no matter how self-sufficient you are. Don’t be ashamed to admit when you don’t know something. Find an experienced entrepreneur like a mentor to help and guide you. Listen to feedback from your mentor and others. Sometimes you’ll get some bad inputs, but learn to filter.

Innovation is vital to the continual success of a company. Be sure never to stop innovating. Be creative and try new ideas.

Inability to anticipate

The ability to project into the future and build a plan to accomplish your objectives is a skill that will take you far as an entrepreneur. Effective planning is what will guide your business and ultimately define what you’re all about.

Little attention to time management

. Your time is very valuable, make the most of it. Allocate time to your daily activity.

How to Start Your Own Business and Succeed

Before you start your own business, here are some very important to-do list which are basic to a business start-up that intends to stay in the market.

Make a business plan

A solid business plan will guide you going forward. It will be needed for presenting your idea to potential investors. A business plan is a document that contains a detailed information about plan for the company for the future. It should contain a mission statement, a company summary, an executive summary, a service or product offerings, a description of a target market, financial projections and the cost of the operation. Preparing this document forces you to organize your business idea properly. You can’t just start a business because something is in vogue and you think commercializing it will make money. Develop a business concept that you’re passionate about. Next, come up with a product or service that you believe can enhance the people’s lives.

You also need to be informed about your market. Determine the demand for the product that you are planning to offer the market. Again study your competition to figure out how your product can be different and unique to set a pace for competition.

Strong Mentality

You have to prepare yourself mentally. Starting a company is not easy. You need to prep yourself to withstand the challenges it comes with and be ready to travel the long journey. Every entrepreneur encounters rejection or unexpected problems, so prepare yourself to handle issues head on. Be prepared to deal with setbacks.

Calculate the amount required for your startup. Every start up requires an initial fund. “Cut your coat acceding to your size“. Start with the little you have. Another alternative is to go in for bank loan. But that is not advisable because, bank loans are expensive and it gives you a limited time to pay with huge interest. Starting a new business, you cannot afford to use your first profit to settle bank debt. 95% of small businesses fail before the 5th year. If you start with the little you have you can use your profit to revamp your business. That way your business start to grow to make more profits for you.

Branding

Branding is very important. Create a unique identity for your product through building and internalizing your elevator pitch. Meaning you know just what to explain to anyone who may ask what your company does, in detail.

Then make sure you secure your product. Establish Ownership of your product brand. You can register your product (trademark or copyright). It would be very sad if someone steals your product and take credit for all your hard work.